tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Cognitive Development and Prenatal Air Pollution Exposure in the CHAMACOS Cohort
Authors: Stephanie M. Holm, John R. Balmes, Robert B. Gunier, Katherine Kogut, Kim G. Harley, Brenda Eskenazi
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2023)

Background: Because fine particulate matter [PM, with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5μm (PM2.5)] is a ubiquitous environmental exposure, small changes in cognition associated with PM2.5 exposure could have great societal costs. Prior studies have demonstrated a relationship between in utero PM2.5 exposure and cognitive development in urban populations, but it is not known whether these effects are similar in rural populations and whether they persist into late childhood. Objectives: In this study, we tested for associations between prenatal PM2.5 exposure and both full-scale and subscale measures of IQ among a longitudinal cohort at age 10.5 y. Methods: This analysis used data from 568 children enrolled in the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS), a birth cohort study in California's agricultural Salinas Valley. Exposures were estimated at residential addresses during pregnancy using state of the art, modeled PM2.5 surfaces. IQ testing was performed by bilingual psychometricians in the dominant language of the child. Results: A 3-μg/m3 higher average PM2.5 over pregnancy was associated with −1.79 full-scale IQ points [95% confidence interval (CI): −2.98, −0.58], with decrements specifically in Working Memory IQ (WMIQ) and Processing Speed IQ (PSIQ) subscales [WMIQ −1.72 (95% CI: −2.98, −0.45) and PSIQ −1.19 (95% CI: −2.54, 0.16)]. Flexible modeling over the course of pregnancy illustrated mid-to-late pregnancy (months 5–7) as particularly susceptible times, with sex differences in the timing of susceptible windows and in which subscales were most affected [Verbal Comprehension IQ (VCIQ) and WMIQ in males; and PSIQ in females]. Discussion: We found that small increases in outdoor PM2.5 exposure in utero were associated with slightly lower IQ in late childhood, robust to many sensitivity analyses. In this cohort there was a larger effect of PM2.5 on childhood IQ than has previously been observed, perhaps due to differences in PM composition or because developmental disruption could alter the cognitive trajectory and thus appear more pronounced as children get older. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10812
Perfusable Biohybrid Designs for Bioprinted Skeletal Muscle Tissue
Authors: Miriam Filippi, Oncay Yasa, Jan Giachino, Reto Graf, Aiste Balciunaite, Lisa Stefani, Robert K. Katzschmann
Journal: Advanced Healthcare Materials (2023)

Engineered, centimeter-scale skeletal muscle tissue (SMT) can mimic muscle pathophysiology to study development, disease, regeneration, drug response, and motion. Macroscale SMT requires perfusable channels to guarantee cell survival, and support elements to enable mechanical cell stimulation and uniaxial myofiber formation. Here, stable biohybrid designs of centimeter-scale SMT are realized via extrusion-based bioprinting of an optimized polymeric blend based on gelatin methacryloyl and sodium alginate, which can be accurately coprinted with other inks. A perfusable microchannel network is designed to functionally integrate with perfusable anchors for insertion into a maturation culture template. The results demonstrate that i) coprinted synthetic structures display highly coherent interfaces with the living tissue, ii) perfusable designs preserve cells from hypoxia all over the scaffold volume, iii) constructs can undergo passive mechanical tension during matrix remodeling, and iv) the constructs can be used to study the distribution of drugs. Extrusion-based multimaterial bioprinting with the inks and design realizes in vitro matured biohybrid SMT for biomedical applications.
Ecological and individualistic fallacies in health disparities research
Authors: Ya-Chen Tina Shih, Cathy Bradley, K Robin Yabroff
Journal: JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2023)

Ecological fallacy, defined by Robinson in 1950 as incorrect inferences about individuals based on characteristics and associations observed among groups (1), is a well-recognized concept in epidemiology and statistics.Research has shown when aggregate values for variables of interest (eg, median area-level income) were used as proxies for individual-level variables (eg, household income), covariates estimated from regression models may be biased (2,3) and the sign of regression coefficients could change (4).Policy makers and health-care providers who rely on these estimations could inadvertently draw the wrong conclusions or target the wrong group for interventions.Health disparities research, including cancer disparities research, using observational data from registries, medical records, or administrative claims often lacks information on individual-level socioeconomic status (SES) variables, such as income, educational attainment, and employment status.Many studies use aggregate statistics at selected geographic units (eg, county, zip code, or census tract) as a substitute for individuallevel SES.This approach, known as the census-based approach (5-7), is common practice in disparities research, where these variables are treated as "proxies" for individual SES and interpreted as if SES had been measured among individuals.Although some studies acknowledge ecological fallacy as a limitation, the use of the census-based approach is widely accepted by researchers as well as peer reviewers and is frequently viewed as an inevitable compromising analytical strategy driven by the lack of individual-level data on SES variables.Davis et al. ( 8) made an important contribution to the literature of cancer disparities research by identifying appropriate data for neighborhood and individual income to showcase the issue of ecological fallacy when linking area-level factors to individual outcomes.The authors documented poor agreement between neighborhood and individual income measures, especially in rural communities (8).In addition, associations between neighborhood income and survival among patients with colorectal cancer were much smaller than associations of individual income and survival (8), suggesting that misclassification bias from using neighborhood income as a proxy for individual income may contribute to an underestimation of the income effect.Findings from this study serve as a cautionary tale for
Engineered EVs designed to target diseases of the CNS
Authors: Lisa Nieland, Shadi Mahjoum, Emily Grandell, Koen Breyne, Xandra O. Breakefield
Journal: Journal of Controlled Release (2023)

Diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) are challenging to treat, mainly due to the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which restricts drugs in circulation from entering target regions in the brain. To address this issue extracellular vesicles (EVs) have gained increasing scientific interest as carriers able to cross the BBB with multiplex cargos. EVs are secreted by virtually every cell, and their escorted biomolecules are part of an intercellular information gateway between cells within the brain and with other organs. Scientists have undertaken efforts to safeguard the inherent features of EVs as therapeutic delivery vehicles, such as protecting and transferring functional cargo, as well as loading them with therapeutic small molecules, proteins, and oligonucleotides and targeting them to specific cell types for the treatment of CNS diseases. Here, we review current emerging approaches that engineer the EV surface and cargo to improve targeting and functional responses in the brain. We summarize existing applications of engineered EVs as a therapeutic delivery platform for brain diseases, some of which have been evaluated clinically.
SARS-CoV-2 variant omicron XBB.1.5: challenges and prospects – correspondence
Authors: Nikhil K. Channabasappa, Ankush K. Niranjan, Talha B. Emran
Journal: International Journal of Surgery (2023)

aDepartment of Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Rewa, M.P., India bDepartment of Veterinary Microbiology, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Rewa, M.P., India cDepartment of Pharmacy, BGC Trust University Bangladesh, Chittagong 4381, Bangladesh dDepartment of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil International University, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh Running title: SARS-CoV-2 variant omicron XBB.1.5. Sponsorships or competing interests that may be relevant to content are disclosed at the end of this article. Published online ■ ■ *Corresponding author. Address: Department of Pharmacy, BGC Trust University Bangladesh, Chittagong 4381, Bangladesh. T: +88-030-3356193, Fax: +88-031-2550224, Cell: +88-01819942214. E-mail address: [email protected] (T B. Emran). This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CCBY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Efficacy of surgical treatment for post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
Authors: Jae Joon Park, Yejoon Hong, Allison Kwon, Sung Ryul Shim, Jae Heon Kim
Journal: International Journal of Surgery (2023)

Objectives: Post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence (PPUI) is a major complication that reduces the quality of life in patients undergoing prostatectomy for benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer. However, there are currently limited guidelines on which surgical techniques are preferred after conservative treatment for PPUI. In this study, a systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) that can help determine the priority for the selection of surgical methods were performed. Materials and methods: We retrieved data from electronic literature searches of PubMed and the Cochrane Library through August 2021. We searched for randomized controlled trials studies on the surgical treatment of PPUI after surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia or prostate cancer and included the terms artificial urethral sphincter (AUS), adjustable sling, nonadjustable sling, and injection of the bulking agent. The NMA pooled the odds ratios and 95% credible intervals (CrIs) using the number of patients achieving urinary continence, weight of pads used per day, number of pads used per day, and the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire score. The therapeutic effect of each intervention on PPUI was compared and ranked using the surface under the cumulative ranking curve. Results: A final 11 studies, including 1116 participants, were included in our NMA. The pooled overall odds ratios of patients achieving urinary continence compared with no treatment was 3.31 (95% CrI: 0.749, 15.710) in AUS, 2.97 (95% CrI: 0.412, 16.000) in adjustable sling, 2.33 (95% CrI: 0.559, 8.290) in nonadjustable sling, and 0.26 (95% CrI: 0.025, 2.500) in injection of bulking agent. In addition, this study shows the surface under the cumulative ranking curve values of ranking probabilities for each treatment performance, which indicated that AUS ranked first in terms of continence rate, International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire, pad weight, and pad use count. Conclusion: The results of this study suggested that only AUS had a statistically significant effect compared to the nontreatment group and the highest PPUI treatment effect ranking among other surgical treatments.
Regional analgesia techniques for lumbar spine surgery: a frequentist network meta-analysis
Authors: Boohwi Hong, Sujin Baek, Hyemin Kang, Chahyun Oh, Yumin Jo, Soomin Lee, Seyeon Park
Journal: International Journal of Surgery (2023)

Various regional analgesia techniques are used to reduce postoperative pain in patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery. Traditionally, wound infiltration (WI) with local anesthetics has been widely used by surgeons. Recently, other regional analgesia techniques, such as the erector spinae plane block (ESPB) and thoracolumbar interfascial plane (TLIP) block, are being used for multimodal analgesia. The authors aimed to determine the relative efficacy of these using a network meta-analysis.The authors searched PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Controlled Library, and Google Scholar databases to identify all randomized controlled trials that compared the analgesic efficacy of the following interventions: ESPB, TLIP block, WI technique, and controls. The primary endpoint was postoperative opioid consumption during the first 24 hours after surgery, while the pain score, estimated postoperatively at three different time periods, was the secondary objective.The authors included 34 randomized controlled trials with data from 2365 patients. TLIP showed the greatest reduction in opioid consumption compared to controls [mean difference (MD) =-15.0 mg; 95% CI: -18.8 to -11.2]. In pain scores, TLIP had the greatest effect during all time periods compared to controls (MD=-1.9 in early, -1.4 in middle, -0.9 in late). The injection level of ESPB was different in each study. When only surgical site injection of ESPB was included in the network meta-analysis, there was no difference compared with TLIP (MD=1.0 mg; 95% CI: -3.6 to 5.6).TLIP showed the greatest analgesic efficacy after lumbar spine surgery, in terms of postoperative opioid consumption and pain scores, while ESPB and WI are also alternative analgesic options for these surgeries. However, further studies are needed to determine the optimal method of providing regional analgesia after lumbar spine surgery.
Pericytes protect rats and mice from sepsis-induced injuries by maintaining vascular reactivity and barrier function: implication of miRNAs and microvesicles
Authors: Zi-Sen Zhang, Yi-Yan Liu, Shuang-Shuang He, Dai-Qin Bao, Hong-Chen Wang, Jie Zhang, Xiao-Yong Peng, Jia-Tao Zang, Yu Zhu, Yue Wu, Qing-Hui Li, Tao Li, Liang-Ming Liu
Journal: Military Medical Research (2023)

Vascular hyporeactivity and leakage are key pathophysiologic features that produce multi-organ damage upon sepsis. We hypothesized that pericytes, a group of pluripotent cells that maintain vascular integrity and tension, are protective against sepsis via regulating vascular reactivity and permeability. We conducted a series of in vivo experiments using wild-type (WT), platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFR-β)-Cre + mT/mG transgenic mice and Tie2-Cre + Cx43flox/flox mice to examine the relative contribution of pericytes in sepsis, either induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. In a separate set of experiments with Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, pericytes were depleted using CP-673451, a selective PDGFR-β inhibitor, at a dosage of 40 mg/(kg·d) for 7 consecutive days. Cultured pericytes, vascular endothelial cells (VECs) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were used for mechanistic investigations. The effects of pericytes and pericyte-derived microvesicles (PCMVs) and candidate miRNAs on vascular reactivity and barrier function were also examined. CLP and LPS induced severe injury/loss of pericytes, vascular hyporeactivity and leakage (P < 0.05). Transplantation with exogenous pericytes protected vascular reactivity and barrier function via microvessel colonization (P < 0.05). Cx43 knockout in either pericytes or VECs reduced pericyte colonization in microvessels (P < 0.05). Additionally, PCMVs transferred miR-145 and miR-132 to VSMCs and VECs, respectively, exerting a protective effect on vascular reactivity and barrier function after sepsis (P < 0.05). miR-145 primarily improved the contractile response of VSMCs by activating the sphingosine kinase 2 (Sphk2)/sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor (S1PR)1/phosphorylation of myosin light chain 20 pathway, whereas miR-132 effectively improved the barrier function of VECs by activating the Sphk2/S1PR2/zonula occludens-1 and vascular endothelial-cadherin pathways. Pericytes are protective against sepsis through regulating vascular reactivity and barrier function. Possible mechanisms include both direct colonization of microvasculature and secretion of PCMVs.
Maternal Emergency Department Use Before Pregnancy and Infant Emergency Department Use After Birth
Authors: Catherine E. Varner, Alison L. Park, Joel G. Ray
Journal: JAMA Network Open (2023)

Importance Maternal emergency department (ED) use before or during pregnancy is associated with worse obstetrical outcomes, for reasons including preexisting medical conditions and challenges in accessing health care. It is not known whether maternal prepregnancy ED use is associated with higher use of the ED by their infant. Objective To study the association between maternal prepregnancy ED use and risk of infant ED use in the first year of life. Design, Setting, and Participants This population-based cohort study included all singleton livebirths in all of Ontario, Canada, from June 2003 to January 2020. Exposures Any maternal ED encounter within 90 days preceding the start of the index pregnancy. Main Outcomes and Measures Any infant ED visit up to 365 days after the index birth hospitalization discharge date. Relative risks (RR) and absolute risk differences (ARD) were adjusted for maternal age, income, rural residence, immigrant status, parity, having a primary care clinician, and number of prepregnancy comorbidities. Results There were 2 088 111 singleton livebirths; the mean (SD) maternal age was 29.5 (5.4) years, 208 356 (10.0%) were rural dwelling, and 487 773 (23.4%) had 3 or more comorbidities. Among singleton livebirths, 206 539 mothers (9.9%) had an ED visit within 90 days before the index pregnancy. ED use in the first year of life was higher among infants whose mother had visited the ED before pregnancy (570 per 1000) vs those whose mother had not (388 per 1000) (RR, 1.19 [95% CI, 1.18-1.20]; ARD, 91.1 per 1000 [95% CI, 88.6-93.6 per 1000]). Compared with mothers without a prepregnancy ED visit, the RR of infant ED use in the first year was 1.19 (95% CI, 1.18-1.20) if its mother had 1 prepregnancy ED visit, 1.18 (95% CI, 1.17-1.20) following 2 visits, and 1.22 (95% CI, 1.20-1.23) after at least 3 maternal visits. A low-acuity maternal prepregnancy ED visit was associated with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 5.52 (95% CI, 5.16-5.90) for a low-acuity infant ED visit, which was numerically higher than the pairing of a high-acuity ED use between mother and infant (aOR, 1.43, 95% CI, 1.38-1.49). Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort study of singleton livebirths, prepregnancy maternal ED use was associated with a higher rate of ED use by the infant in the first year of life, especially for low-acuity ED use. This study’s results may suggest a useful trigger for health system interventions aimed at reducing some ED use in infancy.
Lower Flow, Higher Costs? Recognizing Tradeoffs on the Spectrum of Extracorporeal Support for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Authors: Darryl Abrams, Eddy Fan
Journal: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (2023)

"Lower Flow, Higher Costs? Recognizing Tradeoffs on the Spectrum of Extracorporeal Support for ARDS." American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 0(ja), pp. –
Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among People Experiencing Homelessness in Toronto, Canada
Authors: Lucie Richard, Rosane Nisenbaum, Michael Brown, Michael Liu, Cheryl Pedersen, Jesse I. R. Jenkinson, Sharmistha Mishra, Stefan Baral, Karen Colwill, Anne-Claude Gingras, Allison McGeer, Stephen W. Hwang
Journal: JAMA Network Open (2023)

Importance People experiencing homelessness are at high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Incident infection rates have yet to be established in these communities and are needed to inform infection prevention guidance and related interventions. Objective To quantify the SARS-CoV-2 incident infection rate among people experiencing homelessness in Toronto, Canada, in 2021 and 2022 and to assess factors associated with incident infection. Design, Setting, and Participants This prospective cohort study was conducted among individuals aged 16 years and older who were randomly selected between June and September 2021 from 61 homeless shelters, temporary distancing hotels, and encampments in Toronto, Canada. Exposures Self-reported housing characteristics, such as number sharing living space. Main Outcomes and Measures Prevalence of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection in summer 2021, defined as self-reported or polymerase chain reaction (PCR)– or serology-confirmed evidence of infection at or before the baseline interview, and SARS-CoV-2 incident infection, defined as self-reported or PCR- or serology-confirmed infection among participants without history of infection at baseline. Factors associated with infection were assessed using modified Poisson regression with generalized estimating equations. Results The 736 participants (415 of whom did not have SARS-CoV-2 infection at baseline and were included in the primary analysis) had a mean (SD) age of 46.1 (14.6) years; 486 (66.0%) self-identified as male. Of these, 224 (30.4% [95% CI, 27.4%-34.0%]) had a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection by summer 2021. Of the remaining 415 participants with follow-up, 124 experienced infection within 6 months, representing an incident infection rate of 29.9% (95% CI, 25.7%-34.4%), or 5.8% (95% CI, 4.8%-6.8%) per person-month. Report after onset of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant was associated with incident infection, with an adjusted rate ratio (aRR) of 6.28 (95% CI, 3.94-9.99). Other factors associated with incident infection included recent immigration to Canada (aRR, 2.74 [95% CI, 1.64-4.58]) and alcohol consumption over the past interval (aRR, 1.67 [95% CI, 1.12-2.48]). Self-reported housing characteristics were not significantly associated with incident infection. Conclusions and Relevance In this longitudinal study of people experiencing homelessness in Toronto, SARS-CoV-2 incident infection rates were high in 2021 and 2022, particularly once the Omicron variant became dominant in the region. Increased focus on homelessness prevention is needed to more effectively and equitably protect these communities.
Mortality Trends Among Adults Experiencing Homelessness in Boston, Massachusetts From 2003 to 2018
Authors: Kirsten A. Dickins, Danielle R. Fine, Logan D. Adams, Nora K. Horick, Elizabeth Lewis, Sara E. Looby, Travis P. Baggett
Journal: JAMA Internal Medicine (2023)

This cohort study involves assessing causes of death among people experiencing homelessness in Boston from 2003 to 2018.
Association of Life Expectancy With Surveillance Colonoscopy Findings and Follow-up Recommendations in Older Adults
Authors: Audrey H. Calderwood, Tor D. Tosteson, Qianfei Wang, Tracy Onega, Louise C. Walter
Journal: JAMA Internal Medicine (2023)

Surveillance after prior colon polyps is the most frequent indication for colonoscopy in older adults. However, to our knowledge, the current use of surveillance colonoscopy, clinical outcomes, and follow-up recommendations in association with life expectancy, factoring in both age and comorbidities, have not been studied.